My Facebook news feed has been flooded the past few weeks with articles trying to explain how evangelical Christians can support Donald Trump. It seems that people are struggling to understand how people of faith can stand with a candidate who spouts anger and hatred, one who has no understanding of the Christian faith, in spite of his claims to the contrary.

I confess the notion perplexes me as well. Just today, the well-known pastor or a large inner-city Baptist church in Dallas (you can no doubt figure out his identity) stood beside Trump at a large rally and sang his praises. This pastor’s endorsement is far outside everything I have ever been taught about Christianity.

There is no need for me to delve into all the reasons why Trump should not be the candidate of Christians, just listen to him yourself for five minutes. But he has become just that, the candidate of choice in the Republican Party for Christians. He is even trouncing the candidate who has built his entire campaign around the notion that he is a Christian. Go figure.

Why are we surprised? Trump is simply spouting the same hateful rhetoric many have been throwing out there for the past eight years. When you criticize everything about the government for years, and you vilify the President for every move he makes, and you spew hate toward everyone who disagrees with you, don’t be surprised that the one who criticizes, vilifies, and spews the best suddenly becomes the one to lead the party.

I haven’t heard Trump say one thing that Christians haven’t already posted on Facebook in the past few years. The Republican Party is simply following the natural progression they have been on for years. Christians, yes even Evangelical Christians, have led the charge and now they claim not to understand. What is there to understand? This is where the party has been headed for years. Trump simply came along and sped up the process.

It’s really a shame. The candidate that I could most easily support is being trampled in the rush toward anger and hate. He professes to be a believer in Christ, holds reasonable positions on the issues, but his biggest problem is that he is not angry enough. There is no way anybody could secure the party nomination without being angry and hateful.

There is no way Trump could understand that Evangelical Christians might be opposed to him. After all, it is what many have been advocating for years. At least that is the inevitable conclusion from their Facebook posts and Tweets the past few years. That’s why Trump continually claims to be loved by Evangelicals. He’s not lying; he’s simply responding to what he has seen the last few years. If you still don’t understand, take some time and review the stuff some of your Evangelical Christian friends have been posting.

One response to “It Might Be Time for a Course Correction”

The media has led the charge to Trump because, as you say, he was spitting and frothing the most. So they gave him free air time and look what we have: a royal mess on our hands. If he is the Republican nominee, will reasonable rank and file Republicans cast a vote for him? I hope and pray they won’t. Taken further, the voter turnout in November could be very light. God help us.